Rosebud
by Trinity Brooks
Summary: He laughs nervously. "It's nothing bad, Rose. At least, I don't think so. I think it's wonderful. But I'm not sure how you'll react."


It's early one morning after a long night of passionate lovemaking that he notices it. Rose is still sleeping, and he often likes to spend this time watching her, memorizing every detail about her. The way she looks, the way her naked skin feels beneath his hands, the way she smells. He sniffs gently and his rather impressive Time Lord brain registers something different about her scent. She's laying on her side facing him, and he scoots a bit closer to stick his nose in the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply.

"Oh…" he says, realization dawning on him.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Rose mumbles, her voice thick with sleep.

"Rose… I've just discovered something," he starts.

Rose opens her eyes, and looks in the direction of his voice. In her sleep-addled state, she can just make out a head of wavy chestnut hair, but she gives him a long look anyway.

"You've discovered something. Just now. In our bed," she says.

"Well, yes. Something about you, actually."

That gets her attention. "About me?" she says, sitting up, slightly. Now she was awake enough that she could see all the features of his face, including his lovely blue eyes. "What sort of something?"

He laughs nervously. "It's nothing bad, Rose. At least, I don't think so. I think it's wonderful. But I'm not sure how you'll react."

"Tell me," she insists.

"You're… well, sort of... pregnant," he says quickly.

Rose looks at him for a second to see if he's joking.

"Sorry, I'm what?"

++++

Even though deep down some part of her knows it's true- The Doctor wouldn't lie to her and he was absolutely certain- she refuses to believe it. Not until a week later when she sees the second line appear on the home pregnancy test she made the Doctor return them to Earth for.

"It's true, then. I really am pregnant," she breathes. Her knees give out and she plops down onto the covered toilet seat in the en suite of their bedroom.

"I smelled the change in your hormones," the Doctor says. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

She looks up at him, the shock written all over her face. "I'm pregnant," she repeats, letting it sink in. He kneels on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"How do you feel about that?" he asks tentatively. All he wants is for Rose to be happy.

"I… I don't know. I'm shocked. Nervous. A bit excited." She meets his eyes and sees all those emotions reflected on his face as well, and smiles shyly. "But… I'm happy. If you are."

"Oh, Rose..." He takes her face in his hands and kisses her deeply. When he pulls away, he's wearing the biggest grin. "I couldn't be happier."

He brings her toast and tea in bed every morning because at first it's all she can keep down. He even holds her hair back when she gets sick. Rose hates for him to see her like that-it's so unattractive. But he refuses to leave her side.

He massages her back when it aches, which happens more and more the further along she gets. He dotes on her, and she lets him because it makes him happy.

They still travel, though their adventures have become much tamer. One day, they decide to have a picnic in the grass fields of Ceres IV. She lays on her back, using his rolled up velvet coat as a pillow. The planet is unpopulated, so aside from their voices, the only sounds are of the natural wildlife around them.

The Doctor sits at her swollen feet, rubbing them as he recites nursery rhymes and children's stories to her belly. This was a favorite pastime of his, and Rose has heard several dozen so far, from all across the universe.

Rose closes her eyes and smiles, basking in the warmth of the planet's twin suns as she listens to the Doctor's voice. She runs one hand through the lovely indigo grass blades surrounding her, while the other rests on the curve of her now prominent bump.

+++

One night, Rose is crying softly in their bed. The Doctor slides under the covers behind her, spooning her.

"What's wrong, Rose?" he asks gently, brushing aside her hair to kiss her bare shoulder.

"I'm scared, Doctor," she says between sniffles. "I don't know how to be a mum. I couldn't even keep my plants alive when I was living at home. How can I take care of a child?'

"Oh, Rose…" he says, wrapping his arm around her to rub her belly. "Everyone goes through this the first time. You're going to be a wonderful mum."

"You can't know that," she argues.

"I do know that. You're just going to have to trust me."

"This isn't a normal situation, Doctor. This baby is part alien. How am I going to know what to do?" She began to sob.

"You're not alone, Rose. You've got Jackie, and you have me. We'll figure this out together. And our baby will be perfect. There's no way a child of yours could be anything but."

The Doctor rubs her back until her cries quiet. She turns her head to look at him and he kisses her. She begins to think that maybe he's right after all.

+++

All throughout her pregnancy, the Doctor has been more amorous than ever. The physical changes happening to her body, the ever growing evidence of their love, and just the thought that Rose was pregnant with _his_ child kept him so aroused it was difficult for him to focus at times. He took her as often as she would let him, while still being mindful that she needed her rest.

"Ugh, I'm as big as a house," she says as she stands naked in front of a full length mirror. She's in the last few weeks of her pregnancy, and while she loves their baby, she does not love what it has done to her body. "I've got stretch marks everywhere," she whines.

"Hush," the Doctor says as he walks up to stand behind her, also naked. He eyes her nude form appreciatively in the mirror as he trails his hands down her body. "You have never been more gorgeous."

He turns her around to kiss her hungrily, and then there is no more talking.

After a long and arduous labor, Rose is sleeping soundly and the Doctor is sitting across the room in a rocking chair, holding their newborn son.

The baby begins to fuss and the Doctor stands, cradling him in his arms and shushing him gently.

"Hush now, little one. Your mum needs her rest now." He adjusts the baby's position so the head is resting on his shoulder, and presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Let's have a dance, shall we?"

He begins to hum softly as they sway back and forth.


End file.
